Drills

FAQ's

The LPAS is designed and quality controlled to be accurate within a tight range of tolerances and to need no calibration. When attached to the face of your putter, it should show you a point of light perpendicular to the face (i.e. where the face is aimed) and give you feedback you can trust. To the extent that you believe the feedback provided by the LPAS is erroneous, you can try to check it by using a line on the ground. The longer the line, the easier it may be to see any issues. That said, any lines on the head of the putter or other visual cues may not be entirely accurate either. If you have checked it and you feel the LPAS is inaccurate, please return it to the store where you purchased it for a replacement.

2The laser functions but it appears on the ground only a few feet toward my target. What is going on?

The LPAS is designed to offset three degrees of putter head loft. That means that if you are soling the putter such that it has three degrees of loft, the LPAS will emit a beam parallel to the ground. If, as some golfers do, you have a large forward press, so that your hands are de-lofting the putter face, the beam may hit the floor only a few feet away. A little less forward press would give you a wider scope for using the product. Talk to your pro about your forward press. Too much may not be optimal. Alternatively you could use this to practice lots of short putts. Which, in fact, is probably the best use of the LPAS.

If the LPAS laser does not emit a beam when you depress the button, please try pressing the trigger button in different spots. If the laser is still not triggered, open the battery compartment and check to make sure all the batteries are installed correctly. Never stare into the beam. If it still does not work, and this is a new unit, please contact customer assistance to find out how to get a replacement LPAS. If the LPAS is not fresh out of the package, it is possible that the batteries are dead – perhaps it was kept on by something in the golf bag. Please replace the batteries and test again. If it still doesn’t work, please contact customer assistance. There may be something we can do to help.

This is different for each golfer. There are an infinite number of ways to grip the putter and the LPAS should accommodate nearly all of them. The general idea is that the trigger should be depressed using very little movement by your bottom hand. That may mean placing it near your thumb but for claw grips it might need to be near your index finger. It is easy to relocate so try to find the position most comfortable for you.

6The legs on the laser unit hit the ground. I can’t sole my club properly. What do I do?

The best remedy would be to reattach the laser unit so the bottoms of the legs are even with the sole of the putter head. It is designed to make this really easy. If your putter face is so thin that this can’t be done, you should probably return the LPAS to the store for a refund or buy a new putter.

7My putter doesn’t have any lines. How do I center the LPAS on the putter face?

Ideally the LPAS laser unit should be centered around the sweet spot on your putter. Generally, if there is a center line on the putter head, it will coincide with the sweet spot, making orientation of the laser unit fairly simple. However, if you have no indicator for the sweet spot, you must find it yourself. Tapping the putter face with a pen, while holding the putter up (in more or less the position it would be in during stroke) off the ground is a good way. The point on the putter face that, when tapped, does not skew the putter head open or shut, is the sweet spot. Or close enough not to matter too much. Mark that spot with your pen and center the laser unit around it. If you do this and the putter twists in your hands while putting, you may need to repeat the exercise. If all else fails, ask your local pro for help.

The LPAS has mylar tape included on the unit with additional pieces in the package. Please use the tape to attach the laser unit to the face of your putter in accordance with the directions on the package. We think mylar tape is perfect because it is tough and uniform in thickness. But, if you run out of mylar tape, you can try other two-sided tapes. Just try to keep the laser unit flush to the putter face.

Tips

Play around with the LPAS. Thinking about different aspects of your putting stroke while using the LPAS can give you greater insight into your stroke and the things that affect it. Things that you might want to consider are:

The amount of forward press in your putting set up. The closer the laser indicator is to you, the more the putter face is de-lofted. To little loft at impact, or too much, can create an erratic roll due to the ball hopping or bouncing. Obviously a position at set up doesn’t necessarily mean that the putter face will be in the same position at impact – if it did the game would be too easy. However, it is good to know and think about.

The impact on your aim of moving your head. Looking out the corner of your eyes while in your normal putting stance, point the laser at a target and then release the button. Now, keeping everything in the same position, bring just your head up so that you are looking at the target. Press the trigger. Most people will note a big change in the direction of the laser indicator and the putter face. It is easy to understand how looking too early can be detrimental and why the pros all try to keep their heads completely still until the ball is well away.

The accuracy of the first glance. Some golfers maintain that the first position of the putter when it is placed behind the ball is usually pretty accurate. Subsequent adjustments may not help much, or at all, except to get the golfer settled and ready to make the stroke. Try looking at your target and then putting the putter down on the ground so as to line it up. Press the trigger and see how accurate you are. Now try taking your time and making micro adjustments. You may well find that your first instinct is the most accurate and be able to take that confident feeling on to the course.

Find a cylinder that is about the same diameter as a cup, or slightly less. You can put the tube inside the cup when practicing straight putts on a green (it makes it easier to collect your putts) or have it stand on its own. Aiming at a cylinder makes it easy to see the laser indicator without any forward press. Alternatively you can place something else, as long as it is tall enough, behind the hole to act as a target background / backstop.

Don’t be surprised if this feels strange and you find yourself missing a bunch of putts. As we develop our individual putting stroke, everyone makes adjustments to get the ball in the hole. Over time that means that our perception of aim changes too. For example, the putter head may be open at address and but squared up through the stroke, resulting in a good percentage of holed putts. The same player using the LPAS for the first time will be astonished at where he has been aiming and, when his aim at address is corrected, may miss everything left. However, consistent use of the LPAS will bring perception and physics more in synch, hopefully resulting in a more consistent result.

Do most of your practice on a level putting surface. Try rolling balls from the hole or target towards the spot where you intend to stroke your putts. Try it the other way too. Once you have your spot, start practicing. If you know the putt is a straight put, and you know that the face of the putter is aimed at the hole, but the ball drops in at the side each time, that is useful feedback. Breaking putts are so dependent upon speed that it makes certainty (of aim and stroke) difficult to achieve.

Practice short putts of 3 to 6 feet. Not, of course, to the total exclusion of longer putts, but your time is best spent grooving a putting stroke and mental attitude that gets the ball in the hole consistently on short putts. Better short putting will also lead to better long putting as you become more confident of your return putts.

Please make sure your LPAS is installed correctly, according to the directions on the package. If you have trouble, please take a look at the FAQ section for help. If the LPAS is not installed correctly, the feedback that it provides will not be accurate and even a well thought out practice regiment will be counterproductive.

Drills

Use cylinder as your target. Find a level spot and drop 6 balls in a circle about a foot from the cylinder. See if you can “sink” (as in Drill #2) all six putts. If you sink them all, move out another foot. See how far away from the cylinder you can get. If you miss one or more, start over. Try this using the LPAS and also without.

Use a cylinder as a target and find a level putting surface. Practice hitting putts at the cylinder. Anything that ends up in a half circle on your side of the cylinder probably would have caught enough of a “real” hole to drop in. Keep score, counting those inside the half circle at drained and those outside as missed. Practice using the LPAS until your “sunk” percentage is solid and then try again without it. Note how your scores change.

Practice aiming at a variety of different targets. Have fun. Involve a partner and make a competition out of it. Chair legs, door jams, beer cans and children’s toys are all good targets. See if you can “hit” different targets with the laser without stroking a putt. It’s a good idea to do this drill with a ball in front of the putter so that your perception is consistent between this drill and those where you do actually hit the putt. And remember to aim first and press the trigger later (otherwise the feedback isn’t so useful). Note whether you have a consistent bias to the left or the right when you miss.

Happy customer's

Testimonials

90% of putting is aim. Show me a golfer with good aim, and I will show you a golfer with a good putting stroke. Show me a golfer with poor aim, and I will show you a bad stroke. We cannot keep the LPAS in stock.

Mark Demorest
PGA Golf Professional, Tucson, AZ.

Finally a good putting aid. What could be more important than knowing where you are aimed?

Gaylen Allen
2001 PGA Teacher of the Year, Minnesota Section

One of our best players, a +1 handicapper, picked up our demo putter with the LPAS and lined up a putt. When he fired the laser, he was shocked to see his alignment about 18 inches high and left on the target! He has shown a marked improvement in his alignment, and cannot wait to hit the links this spring!

Kerry Fitzgerald
PGA Professional, Greenwood Hills, S.C.

The LPAS by The smart golfer has given me the confidence to know that I am aligned properly on each putt, and therefore, has allowed me to make more putts more consistently.